King Kamehameha I, (sculpture).

King Kamehameha I, (sculpture).

Gould, Thomas Ridgeway, 1818-1881, sculptor.

Gould, Marshall, sculptor.

F. Barbedienne fonderie, founder.

King Kamehameha I, (sculpture).

Cast Nov. 1881. Dedicated Feb. 14, 1883.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze with gold leaf; Base: concrete.

Sculpture: approx. 8 ft. 6 in. x 5 ft. x 3 ft.; Base: approx. approx. 10 ft. x 80 in. x 80 in.

(On statue, front bottom center:) Kamehameha I

Full-length portrait of King Kamehameha I dressed in the traditional garments of a Hawaiian ruler: a full-length feathered cloak, mahiole (helmet), malo (loincloth), and braided sandals. He is shown standing. In his proper left hand he carries a pololu or ihe (spear) and his proper right arm is raised. Four plaques on the base depict scenes from his life: the era of peace he established; reviewing his fleet of canoes; visiting Captain Cook upon his ship; and warding off warrior spears.

Portrait male -- Kamehameha I

Occupation -- Other -- Aristocrat

Object -- Weapon -- Spear

Dress -- Ethnic -- Hawaiian Dress

Ethnic -- Polynesian

Outdoor Sculpture -- Hawaii -- Honolulu

Administered by State of Hawaii, State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Art in Public Places Program, 250 South Hotel Street, 2nd Floor, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

Located Aliiolani Hale, 417 South King Street, Honolulu, Hawaii

This piece is the second of four castings. The original (see IAS record 87600019) was commissioned by the 1878 Legislature under King David Kalakaua, but presumed lost at sea during transport from the Paris foundry to Hawaii. With insurance money ($12,000), this replica was cast in Nov. 1881 and unveiled Feb. 14, 1883, as part of coronation ceremony of King David Kalakaua. A third copy is in the National Statuary Hall, U.S Capitol, Washington, D.C. (see IAS record 8760000); and a fourth was erected in 1997 at Wailoa River State Park, Hilo (see IAS record 71500343).

IAS files contain related newsclippings from Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Feb. 11, 1977, pg. A-19; Honolulu Advertiser, May 14, 1986, pg. A-15; Honolulu Advertiser, June 9, 1989, pg. B-1,5; Honolulu Advertiser, April 20, 1989, pg. A-1, 4; Honolulu Advertiser, Nov. 22, 1986, pg. A-3, and Honolulu Advertiser, Feb. 28, 1992, pg. A-3. IAS files also contain detailed biography of Kamehameha, from Donald D. Mitchell's "The King Kamehameha Memorial Statue," 1969.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Hawaii survey, 1193.

Radford, Georgia & Warren, "Sculpture in the Sun: Hawaii's Art for Open Spaces," Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii, 1978.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985.

Glenn Wharton, 2001.

Radford, Georgia & Warren, "Sculpture in the Sun: Hawaii's Art for Open Spaces," Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii, 1978, pg. 32-33.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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